‘We must cut China ties I helped build’, says Tom Kenyon

Former trade minister who backed a controversial Chinese consulate in Adelaide now says Australia must ‘disengage economically’ from China.

Former SA trade minister Tom Kenyon. Picture: AAP

A former state trade minister who backed a controversial Chinese consulate in Adelaide now says Australia must “disengage economically” from China as Beijing becomes hard line.

Tom Kenyon, who served for two years as trade minister in the Weatherill Labor government, said Beijing’s trade war and ­increased militarism meant there was little point trying to pretend the relationship between the two nations would continue to be of value. He told The Weekend Australian that President Xi Jinping was more akin to Mao Zedong than the pragmatic and economically focused Chinese leadership of the 2010s when he was trade minister and South Australia was keen to boost its ties with Beijing.

Mr Kenyon said that during his time in the ministry SA pulled back on its trade presence in countries such as Malaysia and the UAE and moved its focus aggressively towards China, leading several trade delegations to China and boosting the sister province relationship between SA and Shandong.

At that same time the SA Labor government gave Beijing approval to acquire a 5600sq m suburban block in Joslin for a rumoured $5m, where its new consular complex was launched this week by SA Liberal Premier Steven Marshall amid angry protests led by SA’s large Uighur community.

Mr Kenyon said it was now time for Australia to pull back, saying it was increasingly obvious that China did not share our values and that Australia now had to make a choice.

“Up until this point, Australia has been able to have a strong trading relationship with China and a strong political friendship with the US,” Mr Kenyon said.

Premier of South Australia Steven Marshall attend the New Office Inauguration Ceremony for China’s consulate in Adelaide this week.

“Unfortunately, we no longer have this luxury. Australia needs to begin disengaging economically from China or, at the very least, limiting our exposure to the Chinese economy.”

Mr Kenyon said the relationship between Australia and China had “fundamentally changed” since he was trade minister.

“When I took the role we were in the final days of Hu Jintao’s presidency and Australia, along with the rest of the world, had been engaging with China expecting China to become more open and more collegiate.

“That all changed within a few months when current and now-permanent President Xi Jinping took over, as well as continuing his role heading the Chinese Communist Party.

“Since that time, the CCP has become more aggressive, more hostile and more likely to interfere in events in foreign countries. President Xi seems to be a genuine communist more in the mould of Mao Ze Dong than Jiang Zemin. This does not augur well for us.”

Mr Kenyon said he regretted that so much goodwill and hard work on trade and cultural ties ­between Australian and China was now being undone by Beijing’s aggressive stance.

“It’s important to remember here that the Chinese people are not the problem,” Mr Kenyon said.

“The CCP is the problem ­because it is an organisation that is hostile and alien to Western freedoms and values.”

Mr Kenyon’s comments were echoed by another SA Labor government minister, former ­attorney-general Mick Atkinson, who was in government when the consulate was given approval to expand.

Mr Atkinson told The Weekend Australian that China’s ­increased disregard for human rights in Hong Kong meant Australian politicians needed to ­reconsider their preparedness to deal with Beijing.

“The horror of Chinese Communist Party rule in Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong is something the Premier will have weighed in his decision to attend the opening of the new Chinese consulate in Adelaide,” Mr Atkinson said.